


An Angel, A Devil and Two Angry Men

by FanficsbyVe



Category: Demon's Souls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-03
Updated: 2016-03-25
Packaged: 2018-05-24 12:20:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6153541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanficsbyVe/pseuds/FanficsbyVe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Garl and Astraea didn't always have such a happy, solid relationship as they do now. Tie-in to CalSantiago's Slice of Souls: a prequel of sorts. Two-parter. FINISHED</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stupidity, Everywhere.

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Slice of Souls!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5409086) by [CalSantiago](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CalSantiago/pseuds/CalSantiago). 



> A stupid little story I came up with inventing headcanons with my boyfriend CalSantiago.
> 
> Addendum: Whenever I use the word "God", I refer to the God as used in the world of Boletaria. It's not entirely clear if this is the same one as the Christian God (though the Virgin Mary is referenced in the game), so I'll leave that up in the air.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad decisions can compile quickly in a relationship under the wrong circumstances.

The happiest day of her life.

That’s what Astraea had been told her entire life about her wedding. That the day she would walk down the aisle would be one of the highlights of her life. A day that revolved entirely around her and her groom as they would start a new life together, as blessed by God. 

She had believed it too, for most of her life. As an oldest daughter from a deeply religious Boletarian family, she had dreamed of the big day since she was a girl. She had swooned over every romantic fairytale. She had been filling up a hope chest since she was twelve. She had even incessantly pondered on whether she should wear her mother’s dress or pick her own. 

Of course, she had occasionally wondered what her groom would be like. She assumed he would be handsome and kind, religious like her too. Still, the exact details were never on her mind. Not when she could dream about all the beauty and splendor that movies and wedding catalogues had to offer and all the composing she could do on PinInterest. 

Yet here she was, sitting alone over a cup of coffee in a restaurant, and she somberly determined that this was the one highlight of her engagement period so far. Being completely alone with some caffeine while resisting anything sweet to go with it, actually not having to think about anything wedding-related. That, she had to admit, wasn’t exactly in the movies or catalogues. Or PinInterest.

As much as she loved her fiancé Garl, her childhood friend and boyfriend since middle school, she didn’t like how this whole situation came to be. Their time volunteering at the Shrine Camp after graduation college was supposed a time of learning and giving to the community, a preparation for the missionary work they intended to do. What was definitely not supposed to happen was learning practical sex education and giving it to each other in their supervisor’s bed, in the missionary position.

The hangover only came afterwards and several tears, apologies and a pregnancy scare later, Garl had told her they should do the right thing. So after their time at the Shrine Camp came at an end, they had gone home and confessed the whole thing to their family. Amidst a storm of meaningful looks at her purity ring, tears and endless holy book quotations to hit home how guilty they should feel, Garl dropped a bombshell. 

It was then and there that he proposed to her, in front of both their families. It felt so out of nowhere that it barely even registered to Astraea at first. How long had he been planning on this? Why hadn’t he told her that this was what he intended? She had wanted to tell him to wait a minute, but she couldn’t. Surrounded by the gleaming, starry and hopeful eyes of her family and his, she couldn’t say anything she wanted to say. All that came out of her mouth, the sound not as strangled as she felt, was “yes”.

That one word was where her current hell had started. The moment it came over her lips, both families had swooped in like vultures on a carcass and instantly offered to arrange every part of their wedding. Without either asking her or Garl about their wishes, they set the wedding for next month and started micromanaging every tiny part of it. 

Starting the next day, she found herself woken up in the early hours of the morning and plans that wouldn’t be misplaced in a general’s war room were laid out before her. Initially, she liked the efforts and their helpfulness, but that was quickly dashed into the ground when her family started to pile on their expectation. 

When she wanted to go for some toast, it was snatched out of her hands and she was told by her mother to go on a smoothie diet so she would look her best for the wedding. Before she could even protest, her overbearing aunt, Once Royal Mistress Myrtle, then started dictating the conditions for her wedding. As she would pay for it, she felt she was entitled to have a say in things. As such, she demanded the wedding to take place at her church and as such, the wedding dress was supposed to have sleeves and a high neckline. The music had to have hymns, the cake was to be sober and the table dressings had to have holy book verses. After all, they better make a good impression after what happened.

Had Astraea not been brought up with propriety, she would have throttled the old lady then and there. Instead, she showed the woman a cast-iron smile and thanked her for her generosity. She had hoped to go off and quickly make some arrangements of her own, but her family had dragged her towards the table, having already collected a bunch of possible choices for her. They would not stop pestering her with it until late into the night, showing her a million ways in which this wedding could be considered a proper one.

This went on for the next couple of weeks. Every morning, she would be awoken at five, served with a smoothie and be forced to make decisions. Any attempt to have some say into the matter was ignored or laughed away and as the weeks dragged on, coupled with the lack of solid food and sleep deprivation, Astraea found her mind going to some pretty dark places.

For the first time in her life, she despised her family. While she knew their hearts were in the right place, their lack of consideration for her opinion started to irk her. She wasn’t having any plans for a Cinderella wedding beyond her family’s means, but since she was the one walking down the aisle, she would like to have some say in it. Just because she and Garl had screwed up didn’t mean they had to give up their privilege to choose things for themselves. 

Of course, her mind would then realize, they didn’t really have any choice. They had romped around in a Shrine Camp while only dating. The only way they could fix that as upstanding members of the Boletarian Church was to get married. She would have happily agreed to that kind of reasoning before. Now, she found she really didn’t like it.

It wasn’t like she didn’t care about Garl. Far from it. In fact, he had proven himself a decent, honorable person throughout all of it and he had been sweet and supportive. Still, they hadn’t really talked about the topic of marriage or living together. Not only that, they had never been alone together up until…that incident. The adult in her insisted that this was not a good basis to get married on, even if it would fix the relationship with her family and her reputation in the community.

As much as she tried to shrug off those feelings off as evil temptation and all those other lovely loaded words her family used, she couldn’t. She felt she needed to discuss these reservations openly, but to no avail. After what happened before, she wasn’t allowed time alone with Garl. Her family was quick to waltz over any tiny sign of doubt she expressed. The best conversation had been with her cousin Rhea, a young cleric acolyte. She at least listened, but even she said that she was lucky to have Garl and that her family did this for her because they loved her. For a while, that convinced her that she was the problem. That she was simply being ungrateful all while her family was trying to fix the mess she made.

Until today.

Today, something had just snapped in Astraea. After three weeks of the family forcing their conditions on her, keeping her from Garl “for the good of both of them” and forcing her to stare at dresses even a nun wouldn’t be caught dead in, her anger was rising. Having already lost ten pounds and gagging at the sight of a smoothie only added to the crankiness. She was tired, hungry and strongly doubted whether she was making the right decision. And that anger was swiftly turning towards her family.

As she was woken up again at 5 AM to “discuss plans”, which of course involved her older female relatives’ preferences, she felt like simply unleashing God’s Wrath on all of them. She couldn’t take it anymore and in an unguarded moment when all her family members were squabbling over dresses, she had sneaked outside, got into her car and drove off. To where, she didn’t know or care. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to be alone. 

In the end, she had ended up in this mall, at this restaurant having a coffee. At home, she hadn’t been allowed one as part of her diet, but the lack of sleep made her crave it beyond anything else. She savored it, drawing it out for as long as she could. Her phone was off and no one knew where she was; she wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible before she inevitably had to go back.

___

 

“Here you go, sir, your bacon and eggs. A coffee for you, ma’am. You want the Boletarian special? Okay, coming up. Here, let me take that plate for you.”

Circe, or the Maiden in Black as many people lovingly referred to her, was wrestling her way through the last ten minutes of her shift. She didn’t mind being assigned to the lunch, the busiest hour of the day at the New Moon Grass restaurant. She had always been a hard worker and despite her unusual appearance, the clientele liked her. She did a heck of a job bringing in tips and her boss Thomas always joked it would be a dark day when she would leave the place for greener pastures. 

She would laugh when he’d say that, but it was true that she would leave very soon. She had been offered a job as a teacher of Soul Arts at the local university and she had gladly taken it. She could begin next semester and until then, she sat out her time here to earn some extra money and have something to do. 

As she quickly hauled the last plates of foods to hungry guests, she heard Thomas call that her time was up. She nodded to him and walked to the back, where she changed out of her uniform into her street clothes. It felt comfortable to be back in her black top, skirt and leggings and it was nice knowing she had the whole day ahead of her still. She picked up her bag and headed out. Maybe she should stop for some ice cream on the way. They were out of it at home and her boyfriend loved it.

As she was about to leave, however, she spied something peculiar from the corner of her eye. A young, blond woman, sitting alone and slumped over with her head on her arms. It was an odd sight to say the least.

The Maiden took a look around the restaurant. Her colleagues all seemed occupied and hadn’t noticed her. This was really their responsibility as her shift was done, but she had worked service jobs enough to be worried. It was entirely possible the woman was simply tired and had fallen asleep, but accidents happened every day. For all she knew, the woman was a diabetic who didn’t take her medication or she had a heart attack. Having someone die in here was a mess this café did not need.

She made up her mind. She swung her bag over her shoulder and approached. After quickly looking the woman over, she reached out and gently shook her shoulder. 

“Ma’am, are you alright?”

Almost instantly, the woman stirred under her touch and jerked her head up. She looked around, slightly disoriented, before turning towards her wide-eyed. She looked her over for a second, before muttering an apology.

“Y-yes, I’m fine. Really. I…I must have drifted off. My apologies.”

With those words, she reached for her cup of coffee and took another sip. As she did, the Maiden got a good look at her face and she felt her eyebrows rise. She knew who this was.

“Astraea?”

The woman froze, only to stare back at her with recognition. “The Maiden in Black? … Circe?”

The Maiden grinned. “Guilty.”

She recalled Astraea all too well, though not always for the best reasons. They used to go to the same high school. While she had nothing against her at the time, the feeling was not mutual. Astraea had spent most of their tenure there either preaching at her, wearing a cross near her or simply avoiding her with a look of sheer dread. She had even doused her with holy water one time. Apparently, a friendly goth girl raised in a Dragon God commune was a clear candidate for the Antichrist in the eyes of a young Boletarian Church girl. 

Back then, it had hurt her somewhat to be treated like she was contagious. Now, however, she could laugh about it in retrospect. They were both silly teenagers back then and they were adults now. She saw no reason not to be nice to her and say hello. Thankfully, Astraea seemed to share that sentiment as she smiled happily.

“What are you doing here? I haven’t seen you since graduation!”

“I work here, but my shift has just ended. How are you? How’s life?”

She noticed how Astraea smiled awkwardly. “G-good. Thanks for asking. You…want to sit down for a moment? Catch up?”

The Maiden barely kept herself from looking surprised. That definitely was more than she expected. Seeing their history, she hadn’t expected more than a quick greeting. Still, she had nothing better to do, so she figured she might as well stay here and chat up an old classmate. 

“Sure. Want some more coffee? Maybe some pastries? I can get us some on the house.”

Astraea’s eyes took on a strange, fixated glint like an executive seeing dollar signs. “Oh, I’d love that!”

The Maiden In Black couldn’t help but find her enthusiasm for some confections strange. This feeling only increased as the first pastry she offered, a blueberry cheesecake, was gone within five seconds. Astraea’s jaw simply seemed to unhinge like an anaconda’s and she swallowed it whole, not leaving a single crumb. Circe blinked, but quickly composed herself, deciding to dive into the past.

As the minutes passed by and delicacies were consumed, however, the Maiden soon had to admit her friendliness hadn’t been the wrong choice. It was kind of fun sitting here, being served for once, while catching up on precious childhood memories. Astraea had mellowed out considerably over the years. At one point, she even apologized for her sometimes less than stellar behavior towards her. Circe took that one graciously and while she didn’t harbor resentment over the past, it was nice to hear.

As they talked, however, her attention was suddenly drawn to something on Astraea’s hand. It was a ring on her left hand and it looked elaborate enough not to just be some simple jewelry. She looked up at her old classmate while pointing to the ring, deciding to ask.

“Are you engaged by any chance?”

For a second, she could see Astraea’s face change, before turning back to a smile. “Yes. Yes, I am. I’m going to be married within a few weeks.”

Circe noticed the sudden change in mood, but she decided not to address it and returned the expression. “Oh, congratulations.”

Astraea took a deep breath. “Thanks. I’m getting married to Garl. I think you remember him from high school. So yes, I’m looking forward to it.”

A short silence settled over the table as she ate some more of her second cheesecake and the Maiden could only watch in silence. Something was off here. She herself was not the type to get excited over a wedding either, but most people would be a bit more talkative. Especially the kind like Astraea, who wouldn’t shut up about a potential Prince Charming throughout high school.

She awkwardly took a sip of her own coffee, contemplating on whether she should address it. She was going to regret it, she was sure. She wasn’t exactly friends with Astraea and it was none of her business. Even so, an instinctive part of her urged her to press the matter and despite her common sense telling her she should know better, she did. 

“I…hope you don’t mind me saying it and I’m probably wrong, but… You don’t seem all that excited to get married…”

Again, there was that awkward quiet. Then, out of nowhere, sobbing could be heard across of her. She looked up, only to find fat, ugly tears running down Astraea’s face, enough to fill a bucket and mop the floors with. Almost instantly, the Maiden regretted her statement. She should have just kept her big mouth shut.

“H-how did you know? How? Just… I’m so sorry, this isn’t appropriate at all... It’s this stupid smoothie diet and aunt Myrtle and…”

If Circe didn’t feel bad before, she certainly did now. Even more so, she was confused as hell. What did an aunt and a smoothie diet have to do with this? Who would even do a smoothie diet anyway? Again, the common sense part of her told her this was a great time to excuse herself, slink off and then mull over her mistakes at home with ice cream and Adventure Time reruns. Unfortunately, she was too compassionate for her own good. She had created this mess, so she better clean it up. She put a hand on the other woman’s shoulder, taking a deep breath.

“Okay, I don’t entirely understand what’s going on here, but I know it isn’t good. First, we’re leaving here. Second, we’re stopping by the Japanese place to pick up takeout and feed you some solid food. Third, we’ll go to my place and you’re going to explain why the hell you’re acting like you were given into marriage to a Fat Minister.”

Her former classmate stopped crying and nodded quietly. “I…I would like that.”

The trip to home was thankfully a short one, even with the stop to get some food. Astraea was clearly in bad shape and clearly wanted nothing more than to get out of the public eye. The Maiden simply set her down on the couch with some of the food and made her some tea, before encouraging her to tell her everything. What she told, she had to admit, was quite a story.

“So…let me get this straight… You and your longtime boyfriend had consensual, satisfying sex…admittedly not in a very appropriate place… And your family thinks the cure for this is getting you two married as soon as possible, even though you are not feeling ready to get married? Oh and they’re hijacking your entire wedding?”

Astraea nodded, sniffling through her tears and with a mouthful of sushi. “I know it must sound weird to you. You come from a religion with orgies and sex magic and stuff where everything goes. But this is a big no-no for us and this is the only way we can fix this in our kind of family. But…but…I think I’m having cold feet.”

Ignoring the blatant ignorance of her family’s religion, Circe frowned. How was she to go about this? Thinking from her agnostic self and Dragon God background, the answer to the dilemma was easy; she would advice them not to get married or at least postpone it. Still, she understood conservative Boletarian Church culture wasn’t as straightforward. So instead, she figured analyzing Astraea’s feelings was the better option. 

“Dearest Astraea. You’re planning a wedding and are miserable every second of it. That’s not having cold feet. That’s standing in a pool of ice with piranhas nipping at your toes.”

Instantly, the taller girl cringed. “Am I just being ungrateful? Everyone so much wants this to happen after we messed up. I don’t want to disappoint them.”

The Maiden In Black huffed, not containing her sarcasm despite knowing better. “Well, that’s great for them. They don’t have to lose face or defend you. It’s the best of both worlds and all it costs them is some money they would have spent on you anyway.”

Almost immediately, Astraea started to blubber again and she sighed. “I’m sorry. That came out wrong. I don’t think your family are bad, selfish people. Not at all. They mean well, but this is not about them. It’s about you and from the sound of it, you would back out the moment you’d think there’s a loophole.”

She could see how the other girl’s lip started trembling. “I…I would…but… There are no excuses… According to the H…”

Circe groaned, shoving a piece of sashimi into the other woman’s mouth to keep her from talking. “Look, I have no right to criticize your faith and customs. But you’re essentially saying you’re heeding the word of a deity who is willing to abandon his subjects at the slightest indiscretion. It seem rather unfair to have to follow all his rules then. Besides, he’s not getting married. You are. If you go through with it, that is.”

Astraea stared at her, a look of fright coming onto her face as she swallowed the sashimi. “Are you saying I should…not marry Garl?”

Circe shook her head. “No. I’m not telling you what to do. I recall Garl from high school. He seemed like a decent guy, but I don’t know him as you do. All I know is that after the wedding is over, it’s the both of you that will be married and living together. So what you think is best for you is most important.”

Astraea simply stared at her as she said this, before letting out a sad sigh while showing a wry smile. “You know you’re the first person who actually told me that?”

The Maiden chuckled awkwardly. “I get that impression.”

An awkward silence ensued and her classmate simply nodded. She stared at her empty teacup, peering in as if she could see the future in it like one of those tasseography frauds. In the end, she turned to the clock, seeming disappointed.

“It’s late. I should head back home. Sorry for all the trouble…”

Circe shook her head. “Don’t be sorry. You clearly needed some food and an outsider’s opinion, even if it’s just from an old classmate.”

Instantly, the blonde woman turned red. “I really didn’t treat you all that kindly back then, didn’t I?”

All the Maiden in Black could do was shrug. “Maybe, but it’s stupid to remain hung up on teenage woes, isn’t it?”

She helped Astraea of the couch and hugged her, seeing how she looked like she needed one. “I put my number on your phone. Give me a call if you need help.”

She felt how her classmate returned the hug. “Thanks, for everything. For the food and the listening ear, especially.”

With those words, she let go of her and picked up her stuff again. Circe guided her to the door of the apartment and let her out. She watched her go down the hallway, noting how her back seemed a little straighter and her head a little higher. She wasn’t the little broken bird she had brought in hours ago. If anything, she seemed more like a woman ready to go to war. Something told her she hadn’t seen the last of Astraea.

___

 

“Astraea! Oh thank goodness! Where have you been?”

Astraea didn’t say a word in response as her mother ran up to her and hugged her tightly. She gasped for air as she could feel her ribcage being squeezed. She tried to push her off, but the woman’s grip was like iron.

She could hear her sob and for a moment, she felt very guilty. She had been so upset when she left that she hadn’t taken their feelings in consideration. She had just disappeared without leaving any means to contact her. No wonder her family had been worried sick. 

“I’m sorry, mom. I’m fine, really. I just needed some time alone and…”

Her mother barely listened. “You were gone all of a sudden and we couldn’t reach you by phone! Your father and Garl went out looking for you! We should call them and tell them you’re okay!”

Garl… His name brought her back to reality. She now found the strength to undo her mother’s embrace. “Yes, please do. I want to talk to Garl. There is something we need to discuss.”

Her mother gave her a dumbfounded look. “Can’t it wait? We spent all day looking at the dresses and I think we found just the one! And the wedding is only in a few weeks! Come on, time is of the essence!”

Then and there, all the goodwill Astraea had felt towards her family for being concerned vaporized then and there. She stared at her mother as if she had just confessed to an affair with the milkman. She could feel her brow twitch and a vein in her forehead starts throbbing. 

She couldn’t believe it; not a single brain cell in her head wanted to. She had been missing for hours and been God knew where, which admittedly wasn’t very nice. Yet even while she had been missing and sent people to find her, they had still been planning this damned wedding! 

A wave of uncharacteristic words threatened to burst past her lips, but she didn’t get that far. She was shoved towards the living. Her aunt Myrtle, rich hypocrite saint and crypt keeper extraordinaire, waltzed up to her in all her withered glory. She showed her a picture of a dress that looked like the abandoned love child of a priest’s robe and toilet paper. The woman was practically glowing, like a corpse painted with fluoride. 

“Look, this will be perfect for you. Not too flashy, properly modest and with ruffles, always classy. We’re just about to order it. Also, I have selected some proper hymns for the ceremony. And I think the paragraphs on the roles of men and women would be perfect for the table dressings.”

Then and there, a strange feeling came over Astraea. A feeling she may have briefly felt in the past but always told herself a sweet churchgoing girl should stand above. Now, however, it seemed to burst right through the cracks, taking with it any sense of patience or diplomacy. She figured less saintly souls called it…anger.

“I hate it.”

Her aunt, who had already turned to the computer, stopped in her tracks and stared at her dumbfounded, so she reiterated her point. “I told you before, I don’t like that kind of dress. Also, I don’t want hymns or scriptures on the tables. Just because you decided to pay for everything doesn’t mean you get to decide about it, so the least you can do is actually listen to me instead of staging the wedding you missed out on when that king dumped you for his wife.”

Almost immediately, she saw her relative swell up like a toad and her mother grabbed her shoulder and squeezed it roughly. “Astraea, how dare you? Aunt Myrtle has gone through all this stuff just for you! The arrangements, the food, a gorgeous dress with ruffles! She is putting all this effort in after you messed up and you don’t appreciate it at all!”

That last sentence was all it took for Astraea. With an image of erupting volcanoes behind her and a demonic glare, she glowered at the woman beside her. She roughly yanked her mother’s hand off her shoulder and turned towards her, unleashing a barrage of wrath right onto her unsuspecting victim. 

"You're right! I don't appreciate what you're doing! I don't appreciate you dragging me out of bed at five in the morning every day! I don’t appreciate you forcing smoothies down my throat! I don’t appreciate you making all the decisions for me! All because I fucked my boyfriend. That’s right, I said “fuck”. And I’ll say it some more. Fuck your meddling! Fuck your interfering! Fuck you acting like having sex was the worst mistake I could make in my entire life. And also, aunt Myrtle, FUCK. YOUR. RUFFLE!"

At that very last word, a bright light suddenly ripped itself from her body and burst into the room. Family members were flung through the room, glass shattered and furniture was annihilated as her God’s Wrath tore through the house like a bull in a china shop, obliterating everything in its path and giving her relatives free flying lessons. With the exception of her cousin Rhea, of course. She had already slumped into a comely faint at the salvo of curses. She felt almost sorry at that. Almost…

“Dearest Astraea?”

She whipped around, eyes shooting fire, only to calm down a little when she saw Garl and her father coming in. Both of them were staring as if they were faced with the Dragon God sitting in the living room watching TV. Which, to be honest, did about sum up the level of distraction she had created. For a moment, she felt embarrassment, until she realized that if she wanted to do something about her situation, she’d best do it now.

“Garl. Upstairs. We need to talk.”

He gave her a surprised, confused look and remained nailed to the ground. Already worked up with frustration, she didn’t bother to explain. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along to go upstairs to her room. Her mother, appearing from behind a toppled couch, seemed to notice what she was up to and called after her with a sense of alarm.

“You’re not yet married! You can’t be alone together!”

Astraea threw her an icy glare, still angry. “Well, who’s going to stop me? You?”

She realized she sounded a lot angrier than she wanted to, but it had the desired effect. Her parents remained where they were as she forced Garl up the stairs. Once they were in the desired room, she locked the door behind them. Her fiancé watched her with utter astonishment.

“Dearest Astraea… What’s going on? What’s this about?”

The woman leaned against the door and sighed. Only now did it really hit her how difficult this was going to be. All this time, she and Garl had barely been allowed to even talk to each other. Was he even aware of how she was feeling? Still, there was no delaying it anymore…

“This is about the wedding, Garl. I… I don’t know how to tell you, but I’m not certain if we should go through with it.”

Almost instantly, she could see a look of horror appear on his face and she felt a sting of pain in her stomach. “W-what do you mean?”

She sucked in a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm as she responded. “I’m just thinking this is all going too fast. I know you want to do the right thing and so do I. But I’m not sure if this is all about pleasing our parents or about us anymore…”

Immediately, the shock returned to his face. “What do you mean, this is not about us? I love you. I want to be with you. I wouldn’t have asked you to marry me otherwise!”

Astraea sighed. He responded exactly the way she expected him to. He didn’t get it. She took a deep breath and tried again.

“I love you too, Garl. That’s not the problem. But we’ve never lived together, our families never even let us be alone or have a date without a chaperone. I’m not sure if we’re ready for something like this. Maybe we should wait a little while…”

He crossed his arms and huffed. “And do what? Keep doing what we’re doing, not getting any time alone? Run the risk of…that happening again? If it’s just going to be like that, we might as well tie the knot now and get it over with.”

Whatever fear and doubt Astraea felt suddenly vanished and the anger she previously felt started to resurface. She didn’t know if Garl realized it, but the way his words came out made her feel sick. It seemed so callous, so matter-of-fact. More like he considered this atonement for a sin, rather than the happy occasion she wanted her wedding to be. That was something she no longer planned to swallow.

“So that’s how you feel about it? That having sex with me was a mistake? That getting married is something to “get it over with”? Sorry, but if that’s how you feel about it, I don’t know if we should bother at all.”

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Garl couldn’t have looked more shocked and horrified if she had hit him with God’s Wrath. He stood there nailed to the ground and she could see his hands ball into fists. Soon, she could see an anger come over him that rivaled hers and his response had her cringe. 

“Really, Astraea? And you’re telling me this now? About a week before getting married, you want to back out? What was the point then? Why even date me if you had no plans to go all the way?”

Trying to maintain her calmness, Astraea sighed. “Garl, that’s not how it is…”

Her boyfriend, however, seemed deaf to her attempts to explain. “Then how is it? I’m trying to do the right thing, but apparently it’s not enough. So what’s it going to be? Are we just going to stay like this, wasting each other’s time, or actually make a commitment?”

For a few brief moments, Astraea remained stunned as she looked Garl in the eye. Had he really just given her that ultimatum? She blinked. Had that just really come out of the mouth of her boyfriend? 

So this is what it came down to. Going through with something she didn’t feel good about at all or losing the person she loved. She could feel her heart break then and there, but even though she felt like vomiting, she knew what to choose. If she really cared about her own wellbeing, she knew there wasn’t even really a choice to make. 

“Well, I’m sorry for wasting your time then...”

Garl looked as if he had just been hit with a warhammer. She could feel her own soul shatter at seeing the incredibly hurt, devastated look on his face. While deep down, she knew she had given the right answer, it was terrible to know it was at his expense. It wasn’t long before he reverted back to a more dignified state, sounding cold and harsh.

“So…this is it? We’re done? Just like that?”

She nodded before she even realized it. This wasn’t how she imagined today was going to turn out. She didn’t expect to end the madness and especially not this way. Still, she had rolled the dice and now, she was at the point of no return.

A sick feeling settled in her stomach as she pulled the ring off her finger and held it out to him. Regardless of what he was thinking of her, she had a sense of honor. This thing had likely cost him an arm and a leg. If she wasn’t going to get married, it seemed only right to return it, so he could do with it whatever he saw fit. She stared him in the eye, managing not to shed a single tear despite desperately wanting to.

“I think you should have this back…”

Garl stared at her in utter horror, the reality of the situation clearly hitting him as hard as it did her. Then, he just snatched the ring from her hand, paced past her and left the room. He shut it with a loud bang and stomped down the stairs, likely to leave the house and never return. 

It was only then that Astraea broke down sobbing. She sat down on her bed, loudly wailing as the full extent of her decision came crashing down on her. After this moment, nothing would be the same again. Not for Garl, for her family and his and especially not for her. 

Still, she knew tears weren’t going to solve anything right now. Wiping them on her sleeve, she forced herself to get up. She pulled a bag out of her closet and started packing. Once she got downstairs and explained what had just gone down, she likely wouldn’t be welcome in this house anymore.

____

 

“You want fish tacos or yakizakana?”

The Maiden in Black looked up smiling as her boyfriend, Lucian the Slayer of Demons, rummaged around the kitchen. It was his turn to cook tonight and as always, he was pulling out all stops. His favorite was seafood and since he was actually pretty good at those, she was definitely looking forward to dinner.

“Yakizakana sounds lovely. Want me to set the table or do you want to eat in front of the TV?”

“TV’s fine. The Shawshank Redemption is on tonight. How about re-watching a classic?”

“You’re speaking my language.”

It was at moments like these that Circe was convinced she had the best boyfriend in the world. They looked like the quintessential “alternative’ couple, the type the local Healing Church street preachers would brand as demon worshippers. That always made her laugh. While they would no doubt consider some of their bedroom preferences evil in nature, their perfect day mostly consisted of going to concerts, having a quiet dinner or just being lazy around the house. She was a homebody, enjoying the comfort of her own four walls, and she liked that he was much the same. 

She reached for the TV guide and flipped to the proper channel. She leaned back in the chair, relaxing for a moment, when the doorbell rang. She sat up curiously and frowned. They weren’t expecting anyone. Who could be at their door at this hour? Lucian seemed to wonder the same. 

“If it’s the Way of White heralds, tell them we’re about to sacrifice a chicken or go to an orgy or something. Those always work.”

Briefly allowing herself a snicker at their usual method of warding off nosy believers, she got up and walked to the door. She opened it, already preparing potential things to say, only to halt in her tracks. In front of her stood the last person she expected to see.

“Astraea?”

The girl looked even more broken and miserable than when she saw her this afternoon. It was clear she had cried and the suitcase next to her gave her a good idea of what might have transpired. Without a second thought, she opened the door a little further. She had no idea how to deal with this unexpected visit, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to slam the door in her face. 

Wordlessly, she stepped through it with the suitcase. She set it down and then turned to her. She nervously rubbed her right ring finger and Circe realized there wasn’t a ring on it anymore.

“I-I’m sorry to disturb you. I won’t stay long, I promise. I’m going to go to a hotel, but I just want to talk to someone…”

Circe looked her over, deciding to get to the heart of the matter immediately. “You and Garl broke up?”

All she got was a weak nod. “Yeah… I didn’t plan to, but it came to that. Family kicked me out of the house afterwards. Until I would “see reason”.”

The dark-haired woman stared at her. “Wow… Love you too, mom and dad…”

Instantly, a sob came out of Astraea’s throats and she quickly regretted her sarcasm. Still, before she could think of anything else to say, her boyfriend stepped into the room to see what was going on. He looked Astraea over, before a look of recognition came over him.

“Ah, so you’re Astraea. Circe told me about you.”

The Maiden In Black noticed how Astraea looked at Lucian nervously. It didn’t surprise her. Despite not being a particularly tall guy, some people found him rather intimidating, with his heavy metal T-shirt, patch jeans, bullet belt and rather muscular physique. This was likely exactly the kind of guy young girls in church were warned about and she didn’t doubt her high school friend currently thought about that. He seemed to notice her apprehension too, but nonetheless held out his hand and smiled politely.

“Hi. I’m Lucian, her boyfriend. Nice to meet you.”

After a few tense minutes, she shook it. Circe then saw how Lucian quickly gave her look, nonverbally gauging the situation. Even though not a word was spoken, they agreed. There was no way they’d shove Astraea out the door in this state. He turned to her, giving her another friendly smile.

“How about you stay here? We have a guest room. Also, we’re about to have dinner; I’m making yakizakana. Grilled and stuffed rockfish. You’re welcome to join in.”

A soft, shy and relieved chuckle was heard on Astraea’s end. “Never had it, but it sounds lovely. Thank you.”

Sure enough, about thirty minutes later, the three of them were in front of the TV, watching The Shawshank Redemption. All of them were engrossed in the movie and Astraea was devouring Lucian’s cooking like it would be her last meal. Still, Circe couldn’t help but notice she was drinking quite a lot of wine from the bottle Lucian had brought from the kitchen. She knew seafood made one thirsty, but it still seemed excessive. 

After the movie, a notably red-faced Astraea was downing yet another glass. She was moving almost mechanically, almost as if she didn’t even realize what she was doing. There were tears in her eyes too and she suspected it wasn’t because Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman had just embraced on a Mexican beach. 

“Astraea, are you alright? You want to talk about it?”

By then, the blonde woman gulped down the last part of her glass. “What is there to say? I lost my family, my home and my boyfriend in one day. The end.”

She let out a sigh, not denying the blond woman summed it up quite accurately. “True, but I don’t think finishing the better part of a bottle of wine is going to solve it.”

Her former classmate threw her a venomous glare. “Well, it sure makes me feel better. Who the hell do they even think they are? Shoving their idyllic little picture on me just so the pastor won’t wave an admonishing finger at them. Especially Aunt Myrtle. Acting so sanctimonious and judging, never mind that she spent her youth fucking nothing lower than a duke. And then that king dropped her like a hot potato! Once Royal Mistress, indeed, with emphasis on "once"!”

By now, the Maiden in Black was getting worried. “Astraea, calm down…”

“Oh, and then we have Garl! Don’t even get me talking about Garl! Some boyfriend! He’s just another good little Boletarian Church boy who wouldn’t dare going against mommy and daddy! Fights demons but would happily bail on his girlfriend if it meant avoiding a scandal! All for a little romp that didn’t even last fifteen seconds! I knew he was compensating for something with that ridiculous helmet!”

Circe could only sit there, absolutely frozen, as the most goody two-shoes girl she had ever met continued her drunken rant amidst hiccups and sobs. The more wine went down her throat, the more lewd and candid her tirade became and the more uncomfortable the atmosphere grew. She could easily see Lucian shared her embarrassment and when she started discussing sticky white stuff and the similarity of Garl’s performance to a firebomb in terms of duration, her boyfriend decided it was time for action. He reached out and carefully took the bottle from her hand, patting her shoulder.

“Alright, sweetheart, I think you’ve had enough…”

Astraea huffed, before lunging at him in order to get the bottle back. The Slayer of Demons, however, was a lot quicker and stronger and simply held her back with one hand while Circe took it from him and put it away. This only seemed to annoy her even more but when she attempted another swing, her feet gave out and she crashed right back onto the chair she was sitting on. Soon after, tears rolled across her cheeks. She hugged her legs, wiping her face with her sleeve.

“I’m…s-sorry… I…just don’t know what to do…”

Circe looked at her boyfriend and the both of them sighed. As obnoxious as Astraea was in her drunken state, they could hardly blame her. This was a girl who had lost everything she had believed in within a day. She doubted she would take that very well either. Still, a couple of bottles of wine weren’t going to solve anything. Honesty would and Lucian definitely didn’t shy away from that. 

“Well, no offense, but getting drunk isn’t going to help you much.”

She nodded. “Yeah, but what does? I can’t go home again. Not unless I abandon my principles and commit to something I don’t want to. And they got perfect leverage.”

Circe frowned. “How so? You’re over eighteen.”

“I’m a legal adult, so they can’t tell me what to do. But everyone close to me is in the same church and likely to side with them. So whomever I reach out to, they are going to try to convince me I’m wrong. And seeing my situation…I’m afraid I might actually listen.”

She shared a glance with her boyfriend. That was a fair point and one she hadn’t considered. She herself came from a very supportive family and grew up in a religious community that considered one’s love life private and choices made up to people’s own discretion. She wasn’t naïve enough to think everyone dealt with overwhelming group pressure well, but there was still a way to bypass it entirely. Still, it wasn’t easy and might require some sacrifices on Astraea’s part. 

“Well, you can stay here for a while. We’re certainly not going to tell you what to do. That and there is something you can do.”

Despite being boozed, Astraea paid close attention and she continued. “Get a job. Even a low-wage one if you have to. Buy only what you need at cheap stores. Get a really small, simple room when you’ve saved a little. If you have your own resources, they lose their leverage. Simple as that.”

She paused for a moment afterwards, waiting for the blonde woman’s reaction. As solid as the advice was to her, she wasn’t sure her classmate would take it. Astraea, she knew, was a child of wealth and so far, her family had mostly provided for her. She was not entirely sure how open she would be to the idea of living below the lifestyle she had become accustomed to. 

The blond-haired female let out a deep sigh, but rather than the annoyance Circe expected, she just sounded sad. “You’re right. I should. I should get my own stuff and earn my freedom. Probably should’ve done that a lot earlier. I likely wouldn’t be in this mess if I did…”

She brought up an arm to wipe the tears on her sleeve. “Fuck today. I know I’m not allowed to say it, but fuck it. All of it. Except you and Lucian. You two have been nothing but nice to me.”

This earned a chuckle from Lucian and even Circe couldn’t help but smile a little. As ignorant and sheltered as Astraea was, she was also humble and quick to appreciate kindness. That was a good trait and one that could help her survive a lot better than she was perhaps aware of. Still, putting that into practice would have to wait for now. Such things could not be done at 23:00 PM after all.

“Maybe you should go to bed. You had a long day today and a lot to do tomorrow. You will feel a little better. Trust me.”

Thankfully, Astraea seemed to agree. She rose to her feet, albeit wobbly. The Maiden in Black rushed in to help, but she shook her head with a smile.

“Don’t worry, I can still manage this. And once again, thank you. For your advice and letting me stay. You kept me from making a giant mistake.” 

With those words, she went off, picking up the suitcase by the door and shuffling in the direction of the guest bedroom. As she went through the door, Circe turned to Lucian. There was a moment of silence between them and he smiled.

“We did the right thing. I know we did.”

She nodded. “I know. But this is only the first day. Astraea comes from a very sheltered background. She might freak out at some of the things we consider completely normal in the days to come… Let’s keep that in mind.”

Just as she said those words, an icy shriek shook the apartment down to its foundation. It was enough to make both of them jump and Circe found herself grower paler than she already was. She looked at the Slayer of Demons in worry, ready to race to the room and find out what was wrong.

Immediately, Lucian let out an awkward chuckle. “Oh, I think she might have found our sex swing. I forgot to put it away…”

The Maiden In Black blankly stared at him for a moment. For a moment, she contemplated smacking him and calling him an idiot. Still, as the damage was already done, she refrained from that and instead marched to the guest bedroom to check on Astraea. She sighed, realizing that she was in for a long adjustment period. 

“Lovely…”


	2. Bruises, Figuratively and Literally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If a breakup is stupid, the aftermath is usually worse.

”Alright, I can do this… I know I can…”

Astraea lay down on the mat, gathering her breath and readying herself. Then, after lying there motivating herself for five seconds, she strained the muscles in her legs and tried to pull up her upper body to her knees. She made it a heroic two inches off the mat, before instantly collapsing back against it. She lay there panting for a second, biting back curses she was no longer afraid to utter.

“Okay, so I’m obviously a little out of shape…”

Being slightly disillusioned, but still determined, she went for another situp. With all her might, she tried to force her body off the ground. This process happened with a lot of moaning and groaning this side of a porno, but she nonetheless slowly managed to get up. That was, until one of her many previously unused muscles started to pull and she was flat against the mat again with an alarmed cry. 

“Cruel Lord, is your abandonment not punishment enough?”

By now, it started to dawn on her that perhaps, this had all been a rather terrible idea. That wouldn’t surprise her. So far, things had been pretty sweet. It was only apt something would go wrong by now.

The last six months had been a huge change for Astraea. Having broken ties with her family and the Boletarian Church, she had set out to become more independent and succeeded quite well. She had a job for five days a week at the local supermarket, a cheap but decent one-room apartment in a safe neighborhood and quite frankly, a far more exciting social life than in the past. She didn’t have a lot of the luxuries her family could afford anymore, but the autonomy her own paycheck brought her was priceless. 

She liked being able to go out without a chaperone, meeting new people and not have anyone question where she went. It was also quite nice to truly be able to decide what she spent her money on. And while she had no plans to start dating again for a long time, she liked being able to just talk to men and not feel frightened or guilty about it. It was that last thing that had convinced her to finally sign up for the gym, as she very much wanted to stay in shape while living her new life.

Now, however, she felt the ten-year membership offer she had taken up was a grave mistake. She was out of breath, dizzy and aching in places she didn’t even know existed. The worst part was that she wasn’t even five minutes into her first exercise. 

She laid her head back against the mat, hoping that if she stayed perfectly still she would feel a little better. When that didn’t happen, she just quietly hoped someone would find her, pick her up and maybe carry her off to the nearest hospital. That or the graveyard, either one would work for her right now. 

After a while, she indeed felt someone approach her. A rather tall person was standing over her, crouching down to make sure she was alright. She felt rather thankful for that, right up to the moment she heard the person’s voice.

“…A-Astraea?”

Instantly, Astraea’s eyes snapped open and she stared up as if she was looking a demon in the face. Standing above her, dressed in workout clothes and with a stunned look, was Garl. Shocked and uncomfortable, she shot upright and stood, ignoring her screeching muscles and trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

“G-Garl? What are you doing here?”

He frowned at her, crossing his arms. “I work here part-time. I’m more curious what you are doing here. Especially after falling off the face of the earth half a year ago.” 

She could feel a little bit of anger seep into his voice, but her own irritation made her avoid the loaded remark entirely. “This is a gym, Garl. People come here to work out.”

It was beyond obvious that he noticed her attitude, but despite clearly being annoyed he simply gave her a wicked grin. “Well, it looked more like you were passing out, but whatever you say.”

If they weren’t in a public place, Astarea might have considered unleashing God’s Wrath onto her ex-fiancé. Why did he have to be here of all places? Just when she was finally putting the whole fiasco behind her. Just when she finally felt she was getting over him too…

Her mind raced. Part of her just wanted to grab her stuff and march right out of the gym to avoid any further interaction. The sensible part of her, however, reminded her that this could be interpreted as fear on her part and there was no way she wanted to give him that. So she simply huffed, brushed past him and set her sights on the first workout machine she came across.

She hoped desperately that it would get the message across that she wasn’t interested in further conversation. She wasn’t so lucky. Instead, he curiously sauntered after her and leaned into the nearest wall. She tried her best to ignore him, she decided her hand at a strange device with a bar and wires.

“You’re doing it wrong. You have to sit and pull the bar towards your chest.”

He sounded far too smug to her liking and she shot him a glare. “Why are you even still talking to me?”

He grinned. “Because, again, I work here and it’s my job to make sure no one gets injured or dies. You’re currently at risk of both.”

Once again feeling the urge to smack him, Astraea decided it was best to keep her calm and instead focused on using the machine. She was not petty enough to disregard his advice, which she at least assumed to be truthful, but she felt she might as well try to lift a bag full of bricks. The weight barely came an inch off the ground and the more she dug her heels in, the less successful she seemed. By now, she was huffing and puffing, her face red as a tomato and making sounds like a colossus shouldering giant boulders. 

Just when she realized in utter mortification that her ex was seeing looking this undignified, Garl decided to rub some more salt into the wound. He walked up and started to take off some of the weight. He then returned to his spot at the wall, grinning.

“Try again. What you had was a bit too much for someone at your level.”

For a second, his tone made her wonder if he was just really being professional. It didn’t take long, however, for her anger to raise its ugly head again and she refused to take any help from him. Now desperate to be alone, but still not desperate enough to go away, she went over to the weightlifting benches. In order to look tough, and hopefully make him go away, she picked one with a decent amount of weight on it. She lay down on the bench, readying herself.

“You’re going to pull your back muscles.”

Ignoring his amused warning, Astraea put her all into lifting the weight above her head. Her determination pushed her on and inch by inch, the weight was raised in the air. For a moment, a proud, somewhat surprised smile came onto her face only to be wiped off in an instant when her untrained muscles could no longer take the strain. 

An unpleasant cracking noise was heard and an unbearable pain shot through her back. With a squeaky yelp, she let go of the weight and the bar of the weight crashed down on her chest, knocking the air out of her. Garl was on her within seconds, pulling the weight off her and preventing any serious damage. Still, the damage to her ego was already devastating and the language she uttered while gasping for breath reflected that.

“Ow! That hurts like Bramd! Son of a…”

“Told you.”

Astraea didn’t reply as he put the weights away with a shrug, still too much in pain physically and mentally to think up a quick retort. She just rolled onto the ground and lay there in fetal position. She quietly hoped to be left there, quietly salvaging whatever was left of her pride. A hope that was quickly dashed when she felt Garl help her into a sitting position. 

“Do I need to bring you to first aid or is your ego the most bruised thing about you?”

He sounded perfectly professional as he said it, but once more, Astraea could detect a gleeful edge to his voice. It was clear to her that he was still harboring resentment for what happened. No doubt he was greatly enjoying seeing her in pain. The bastard…

Trying her best not to snap at him, she pushed his hand away. “No. I don’t want you to bring me anywhere. I don’t even want you to touch me or talk to me. How hard is that to understand?”

Almost instantly, she sensed a frown on his face. “Look, I’m just doing my job here…”

For some reason, that set her off only more and before she could stop herself, she responded. “Sure you are. Doing your job in making me miserable…”

That one thoughtless remark finally did it for him. He pulled back from her, unceremoniously dropping her on the ground. She groaned at the pain that shot through her back. He stood there arms crossed, and despite appearing calm he was clearly seething. 

“Well, I don’t recall me being the one to walk out two weeks before the wedding and return the ring. Or disappearing for six months, making everyone wonder if you’re kidnapped or dead! And yet _I_ am the one making _you_ miserable?”

For a second, she felt a little pang of guilt at that. Still, that quickly evaporated when she once again remembered the circumstances of her breakup. Her eyes shot fire at him and while she wasn’t yet ready to get up, she didn’t hesitate to give him a good piece of her mind. 

“Well, I wasn’t the one posing an ultimatum! Really, Garl? Either get married or break up because I didn’t think we were making the right decision? There was a good reason I didn’t want to talk to you or my family again after that!”

Her ex didn’t miss a beat. “Then why did you even say “yes”? If you weren’t sure, why bother going through with the preparations? You never spoke up and instead dragged it out, embarrassing everyone in the process! So what suddenly made you change your mind, huh? What made you decide everyone’s efforts didn’t matter?”

That question, asked so casually and with a clear edge of sarcasm, was what finally had her lose her cool. Abandoning whatever sense of propriety she planned to maintain in a public space, she fired a furious tirade at her former boyfriend. And as far as she was concerned, all the people currently staring at them could enjoy the show.

“Well, exactly that! _Everyone _! It’s always about everyone! The family! How they look, how everyone perceives them! And that’s why I didn’t speak up, even though I should’ve! Because the entire family’s reputation was held over my head like a hostage situation! Well, I’m done taking responsibility for other people! I want to make my own decisions and live with them! That is already challenging enough as it is! Ow, by the Storm King’s scaly balls, my back!”__

__The definitely unhealthy cracking noise in her spine briefly interrupted her rant. She bent over, leaning onto her knees. The last thing she wanted was to tumble again like a clumsy ox and make a fool of herself after telling off her ex. Thankfully, salvation was at hand, as she suddenly heard Circe call for her. Her friend had promised to pick her up here and drive her to her job interview on the other side of town and frankly, she didn’t arrive a second too soon._ _

__“Astraea! There you are! Come on, let’s go! We’ll be late for… Oh, what happened to you?”_ _

__She was more than relieved to feel her friend’s helping hands on her and used her help to stand up straight. “Had a little accident lifting weights. I’ll be fine tomorrow.”_ _

__Her friend simply nodded, only to suddenly catch sight of Garl and let out an awkward chuckle. “Oh, hello Garl.”_ _

__She noticed how he looked her over like a piece of road kill. “And you are?”_ _

__The Maiden In Black stayed far more polite and cordial than she had to at his attitude. “Circe. We went to school together. Astraea and I have been hanging out again these last six months or so. But anyway, we have somewhere we need to go, so excuse us…”_ _

__The blonde woman was happy to follow her friend out, but Garl wasn’t about to let them off so easily. “Really, you’re hanging out with people like her now? You’ve fallen far, Astraea…”_ _

__Whatever sense of calmness had previous returned to Astraea instantly vaporized again then and there. She was fine with Garl being upset with her; in fact, he had some small measure of justification for that seeing their circumstances. What she was not fine with, however, was him insulting her friend._ _

__Seething, she whipped her head around looking for something, anything, to throw at him that was preferably not deadly but would leave an impact. Eventually, she settled on a nearby sweaty towel and with the kind of precision that would make Risaia the Archer weep tears of joy, flung it at her ex. It hit his face with a wet slapping sound and the look on his face as he clawed it off his head was priceless. She pulled against the Maiden’s In Black, who was trying to desperately restrain her, eager to deliver the final blow in this argument._ _

__“Rot in the swamp, Garl! I’m exactly where I need to be! At least Circe doesn’t force me to do things that make her look good and she gives me advice that’s actually in my best interest. You know, I was genuinely sad about breaking up with you, but I realize I now have better things, and people, to do! Ouch! Sweet moon grass, it hurts!”_ _

__She happily would have flung more bile at him, had it not been for her screaming back and Circe pulling her along. “Okay, that’s enough, Astraea. Let’s just go now…”_ _

__With that, her friend gently pulled her away to the changing rooms, helping her cast some sorceries to alleviate her pain and heal her injuries. She then helped her to the car and fearing that Garl might come after them for some reason, they drove away quickly. After an awkward silence of several minutes, the dark-haired woman spoke up, eyeing her with worry._ _

__“So…are you going to be alright? I know it wasn’t that great for you seeing him again…”_ _

__From her spot in the passenger’s seat, Astraea gave her a tired sideway glance. “Yes. After I get through this job interview, my body stops being sore and I cried myself to sleep by way of consuming a few glasses of wine, a giant pizza and the new season of _The Walking Dead_.”_ _

__Circe gave her a questioning look. “I thought you said you despised that series.”_ _

__“I do, but the thought of men being eaten alive by ravenous zombie hordes very much appeals to me right now…”_ _

__Her friend chuckled and she returned a weak smile, twitching a little at her still sore back. She sat up a little, trying her best to ignore it and take her mind off. The job interview was more important right now._ _

__Still, she knew she couldn’t exactly avoid Garl forever. She had gotten lucky so far, but they still lived in the same city. She would eventually run into him again and she sure as hell wasn’t going to base her social life on whether or not he was at the same location as she was. She sighed. She would have to find a way to deal with that. All she knew was that she was not going back for the gym for a very long time._ _

______ _

__

__“You know, it’s nice we’re able to have lunch together now.”_ _

__Circe smiled at her boyfriend’s remark. The two of them sat in a lovely little diner, a block away from the university where they both taught. Lunch break was in effect and the two were taking a well-deserved break from their pyromancy and soul arts classes to enjoy a little quality time as a couple._ _

__“Yeah, we couldn’t really have that while I still worked at the restaurant. Also, this pays way better, so improvement all-around.”_ _

__Lucian grinned. “See? I told you it was a good idea to apply for a job here. Only took me a year to convince you!”_ _

__The Maiden in Black rolled her eyes, deciding not to contradict his cocky statement. He was right to some extent. She had been hesitant to apply for a job at a prestigious university, worried that they might not consider her appearance suitable. Still, her boyfriend grossly exaggerated his role in finally convincing her, seeing how the university sent her an invitation for several guest lectures based on her work online. Nevertheless, she decided not to bring it up and simply appreciated his love and support, enjoying the extra time they could now spend as a couple._ _

__“Oh speaking of work. Astraea will likely get that job as a physical therapist. She was the only one they asked for a follow-up interview.”_ _

__Lucian grinned as he took a sip of his coffee. “Wow, great for her. Girl’s doing really well for herself since she got the hell out of the Boletarian Church. Now if she quits moping over the ex, she’ll be in the clear.”_ _

__She gave a soft chuckle at his rather blunt way of putting it. “Give it time. A long time. They were dating since middle school and have known each other their entire life. Breakups can’t be easy then.”_ _

__Much to his credit, her boyfriend nodded in understanding and let out a sigh. “True. And she’s dealing with it pretty decently seeing the circumstances. Hell, I know I wouldn’t take it well... Here’s hoping that’ll never happen to us.”_ _

__She smirked as he offered his mug and raised hers to toast it. The two of them quickly finished the remains of their lunch, before leaving money and a generous tip. They gathered their stuff and headed out the diner, chatting about the jazz night they’d soon attend with Astraea and a few other friends. They occasionally stopped to check out a display while discussing their students, enjoying the sunny weather and each other’s company._ _

__They were only several feet away from the university when suddenly, she heard a male shouting. “Hey! Hey you! Circe! Hold up!”_ _

__The brunette halted and looked over her shoulder to see a car pull up. A familiar head of long blond hair stuck out of the window and by the looks of it, the owner was in a bad mood. She groaned, none too pleased to have to deal with this right before teaching classes again._ _

__“Hello, Garl…”_ _

__The tall knight practically burst out of the car while it was still moving and marched towards her like a soldier going to war. Hapless students, on their way to classes and dorms, bounced off him left and right as he stormed through them like Moses parting the Red Sea. He looked pissed enough to break someone’s skull then and there and frankly, it wouldn’t surprise her if he’d actually attempt it._ _

__Behind him, she could see the car had screeched to a halt. Another person emerged from the driver’s seat and raced after Garl with a look of panic, rage and worry on her face. Circe was almost relieved to recognize Selen Vinland, the knight’s older sister, and she could tell the taller woman definitely didn’t approve of whatever her baby brother intended to do. She raced up to him and grabbed him, but while being a tall and muscular woman herself, she was no match for his adrenaline-induced wrath. Soon, she was leaving skid marks all over the pavement and all Circe could do was brace for the inevitable._ _

__Within seconds, he had reached her and he wasted no time voicing the reason of his ire. “You! What on earth did you tell my fiancée six months ago?”_ _

__Something about his tone told her that whatever answer she’d give him would not be to his liking. She was quickly weighing her options, but before she could decide, Lucian stepped in. He protectively put her behind him, an unnecessary act she nonetheless found very sweet, and stared the six foot four knight up and down without batting an eyelid._ _

__“Excuse me, but who are you and why are you yelling at my girlfriend?”_ _

__For a moment, Garl almost seemed taken aback by this. The Maiden in Black had an inkling of why. Lucian was of average height, a good six inches shorter than him and light as a feather compared to his bulk. He had probably never had anyone with such an apparent physical disadvantage speak to him without the slightest sign of being intimidated. It definitely didn’t improve his mood for one thing._ _

__“Stay out of this! This is between me and her!”_ _

__With that, he tried to shove him aside. Still, Lucian didn’t budge, much to his evident surprise, Selen’s relief and Circe’s quiet amusement. Realizing this wasn’t going to work, he instead leaned to the side a little to face her._ _

__“I want to know what you said to Astraea! My sister and I went to the restaurant you worked at and your former boss said you were talking to her around the time we were engaged. I can’t think of anyone else that would be out to ruin a relationship but you! So what the hell did you tell her that caused her to want to break up?”_ _

__He nearly lunged forward again as he said it, only barely restrained by an increasingly annoyed Selen. Circe was gradually starting to feel the same. Seeing how a supposedly honorable member of the Boletarian Church was behaving, she had no interest in even having a conversation with him. So she kept her answer brief and with a sharp edge to it, meanwhile eyeing several students limping away from having taken a knight to the face._ _

__“I didn’t tell her to break up with you. That one surprised me as much as it obviously did you. Now can you please stop causing a scene on the campus and make collateral damage out of the students?”_ _

__If anything, Selen seemed immensely pleased with that answer, once again tugging on her brother to get him back to the car. “She’s right, Garl. Let’s just go to visit our grandparents like we planned to. This isn’t worth it.”_ _

__Glad to find some support in the older, more sensible Vinland and already seeing students take out their phones, Circe quickly sided with her. “Listen to your sister, Garl. Don’t do something you’re going to regret.”_ _

__She meant well with that, but that was obviously not how Garl took it. “Well, what are you going to do, you Dragon god worshipper? Stick a couple of pins in a doll of me? That stuff won’t work on someone like me!”_ _

__Lucian let out a heavy sigh, followed by a growl. “That’s voodoo, Garl, not Dragon God worship. But I can still punch you hard enough to have you wonder if God has forsaken you. Which I will if you lay a hand on Circe. So beat it, Simon Belmont.”_ _

__Knowing fully well when her boyfriend was being serious, Circe grabbed his arm. “Lucian, calm down…”_ _

__Her warning was too late, as it seemed to get Garl riled up even more. “I don’t have to listen to you, pipsqueak. My issue is with your girlfriend! Though God knows you probably had something to do with this as well!”_ _

__The Slayer of Demons simply rolled his eyes. “Look, contrary to what the saints may tell you, the lives of Boletarian Church members aren’t all that interesting to heathens like us. Neither is your girlfriend. All I know is that Astraea is a swell chick who deserves better than any of this shit and that she’s great to bring along to jazz concerts. Take it for what it is and move on. Besides, shouldn’t you go looking for the Masters of the Universe by now?”_ _

__While the joke clearly flew over Garl’s head, his dismissive attitude certainly didn’t nor did the information that he knew Astraea. “What the hell are you two up to with her?”_ _

__By now, the knight’s anger was starting to worry Circe, but not nearly as much as the expression on her boyfriend’s face. Lucian didn’t take unreasonably angry people well and sometimes had a bad time gauging when he went too far. By now, he seemed irritated enough to actually get sarcastic and provoking and she knew fully well that would only escalate the situation. Horrified, she tried to stop him from opening his mouth but it was already too late._ _

__“Fine, we’re engaging in threesomes with her and are intending to use her in a ritual to bear the Dragon God’s demonic child. That’s what you wanna hear? Now piss o…”_ _

__The Slayer of Demon’s couldn’t even finish his sentence as the younger Vinland socked him square in the mouth. His head bounced back, but unlike what the knight had clearly expected, it didn’t down him. Instead, Lucian stayed firmly on his feet and charged, lunging and hitting him square in the chest with enough strength to make the larger man stagger. He had probably not expected her boyfriend to be a pretty competent Muay Thai boxer in his spare time and Lucian was about to display this in the most comprehensible sense possible._ _

__Soon, a cloud of dust started to form on the campus as the two men started exchanging punches, with the tact and coordination of two schoolgirls fighting over their senpai. The fighting was brutal and as they rolled around the campus like two mismatched lovers in a romantic comedy, they couldn't help but draw attention of confused students and university staff. Amidst flailing arms and kicking legs, they exchanged insults that even third graders would dismiss as too childish and blatantly ignored the two women desperately trying to pull them apart._ _

__By now, a crowd was starting to gather pulling out phones and the Maiden in Black swore she could hear some bets were being made as well. Selen was trying the best she could, at one point even trying to drag Garl out of the fray by his leg, while she told Lucian to stand back, but it seemed all the men were interested in was knocking out each other’s lights. When Circe was pretty sure Lucian was pulling Garl’s hair while the latter was trying to scratch him, she finally had enough. Forsaking her own rules about practicing soul arts safely, she picked the right moment to erect an invisible wall between them, effectively separating them._ _

__After several moments of watching them ineffectively bang on the barrier and rage at each other, she had more than enough and decided to verbally intervene. “Alright, you two, knock it off and listen to me before I’ll conjure a Soulsucker spell right up both your assholes!”_ _

__The threat of losing their souls by way of sodomy was enough to instantly straighten the both of them out and have them pay attention, after which she continued. “What the hell is wrong with you? You’re two grown men having a catfight over nothing! Honestly, dealing with this kind of crap, it’s a miracle Astraea and I didn’t just start dating each other!”_ _

__“You don’t mean that!”_ _

__The two men instantly shut up when they realized they sat the same thing at the same time, with the same shocked expression. Selen, on the other hand, simply giggled. Circe simply stepped up to her boyfriend and jerked his arm, creating distance between him and his rival. She then turned to Garl._ _

__“Pay attention, because I’ll only say this once. I didn’t tell Astraea to break up with you and I don’t think she wanted to. I’ve heard her crying over you enough times to know she misses you. What happened is that we met at the restaurant, the wedding came up and she told me she wasn’t sure she wanted to go through with it. I said she was the one having to live with her decision and apparently that’s what she decided. There. That’s the information, do with it what you will. And now get the hell off my campus before someone does call the cops, preferably me!”_ _

__With that, Selen stepped forward and grabbed Garl by his ear, earning a yelp from him while dragging him away. “Happily. We’re going now. Sorry for the mess, Circe. I didn’t see this coming… I asked my parents for a little sister… I really did…”_ _

__The Maiden in Black simply gave the taller woman a nod, before clutching her boyfriend in a death grip and dragging him off as well. He was smart enough not to protest. That was, until they got out of earshot of the rival party._ _

__“Ow, ow, let me go! I’m sorry, okay? I got angry…”_ _

__Circe simply spun him towards her and shot him a glare. “You got _stupid_. We’re on campus and you decide to provoke this guy _and_ have a fist fight? No, I don’t care he started it and yes, I appreciate you trying to protect me. But you didn’t have to and this kind of stuff can cost you your job. Do you understand?”_ _

__Lucian had the good sense to grovel and understand his error. “Yes, Circe. You’re right. I’m sorry, he just got the better of me. The stuff he said and the way he acted. It wasn’t right…”_ _

__She nodded, smiling a little at his protective nature. “I know, but there’s no reason to make it worse. Besides…”_ _

__She looked over to where Selen had taken Garl and was now unleashing the mother of all tirades on him. While they were too far away to actually hear what was said, the Maiden in Black figured it involved the words “idiot”, “hothead” and “pressing charges”. She could see the giant knight cower at his big sister’s anger and she smirked a little._ _

__“I think he’s already being punished enough.”_ _

__Watching the spectacle, Lucian grinned for a brief moment. “I’ll settle for that. Now let’s go. Else we might be late for our classes thanks to this nonsense.”_ _

__She returned the expression, before following his advice and heading back with him into the university, hoping the rest of the day would go by without incident._ _

______ _

__

__There was no small slice of happiness like a fine drink, fine company and fine music. Preferably all at once. And sometimes, life was kind enough to provide just that._ _

__Astraea was in a good mood tonight. How could she not be? Here she was, outside a cozy little café in the entertainment district, listening to several jazz bands performing while enjoying a drink with friends. It was the kind of outing she never could’ve dreamed of while still a member of the Boletarian Church. Funny, how she never noticed how stifling her old life had been until she had left it behind._ _

__It seemed she wasn’t the only one who felt that way either. She had been more than a little surprised when a week or two ago, she found her Rhea on her doorstep. Apparently, her teenage cousin had tracked her down, stating she missed her and she wanted to stay in contact. That and she wanted a place to hide twice a week from the terrible charm course her mother had signed her up for. Astraea had readily agreed and it helped her feel a lot less lonely to have one family member left._ _

__Still, feeling lonely was becoming ever less of a problem. Besides Lucian and Circe, she was joined by two more colorful characters tonight. One was an artist named Shanalotte, who turned trash and broken objects into art. The other was Solaire, a happy, jovial man who owned a small business specializing in something that involved “jolly cooperation”. Both were quirky but incredibly nice and after a few drinks, they all got on like wildfire. That and the jazz helped too. A little too much, it seemed, for some members of the party._ _

__When an instrumental band came and, after a few songs, jokingly suggested someone should come up to sing Nina Simone’s Feelin’ Good, Shanalotte suddenly grabbed her arm and jumped up. “Here, over here! She can sing it!”_ _

__Instantly, the rosy, carefree feeling ebbed right out of Astraea’s body. “W-what? Shan, what are you doing?”_ _

__She cast a look to Circe, begging her for help, but she only sided with her friend. “I recall you singing jazz songs in high school. And really well too! C’mon, do it! It’ll be fun!”_ _

__For a moment, Astraea felt like smacking her friend. She was indeed a competent amateur jazz singer, enjoying music in high school and being part of a religious jazz band with Garl on saxophone until graduating university. She had kept up her singing since then, but hers leaned more towards the stylings of Norah Jones and other light-voiced singers. She wasn’t sure if she had the chops for a classic by Nina Simone. What’s more, she hadn’t exactly sung for such a large crowd before._ _

__Still, before she could voice this, Shanalotte had already caught the attention of the band and Astraea found herself riding a wave of unfamiliar people towards the stage. Clawing her way back was futile and knowing there was no way out of this without causing a scene, she resigned to her fate. Instead, she settled for one last glare at her waving friends and quietly mouthed her feelings on the matter._ _

__“I’m going to kill all of you...”_ _

__Soon, she was on the stage and after a quick introduction, she was given a microphone and was thrown sight into the deep end. Driven by a few glasses of wine and the promise of future revenge on her friends, she decided to take the plunge. In no way willing to make a fool of herself, she opened her mouth and sang like she never sang before._ _

__The first few cheers encouraged her to keep going and before she knew it, she no longer cared about where she was or that she had been dragged up here. She was simply up here, having a good time entertaining some strangers and they seemed to appreciate her in return. The band seemed equally impressed and after the first, she stuck around for a few more songs of other jazz legends. By the time she left the stage again, it was with loud applause and she decided she would only bother to plot her revenge against the clique tomorrow. She joined them back at the table, where she was greeted with pats on the shoulder and a sauvignon blanc as a reward. She playfully glared at Solaire as he set it in front of her._ _

__“You know I will make all of you pay in spite of that, right?”_ _

__Lucian grinned. “Well, seeing the show we got, I’m sure it’ll be worth it. Besides, don’t lie to us; we could see you had fun.”_ _

__She returned the expression, putting on her best saint-like voice. “True, but so will I when I plan my vengeance. Keep that in mind, ye unfortunate ones.”_ _

__This caused the group to laugh and the rest of the evening went by without a hitch. The alcohol was eventually replaced by solid food and soft drinks once it got to their heads and the conversations flowed freely supported by the sweet sounds coming from the stage. It was already well into the night when they finally headed home and as Astraea separated from her friends to head to her apartment a block away, she felt light and content._ _

__At least, she did until her somewhat tipsy mind caught onto something else. Ever since she left the square, a tall and shadowy figure had been around her. Initially, she had assumed the man might simply be heading the same way as her, but the closer she got to home, the more she became convinced he was actually following her. Confident in her miracle casting, she didn’t feel any fear as she stopped and called over her shoulder with a sense of cold finality._ _

__“Stop following me. You will regret it if you do.”_ _

__She could feel the man stop and after an uncomfortable silence, she got a response. “S-sorry. I…I didn’t have the nerve to do anything else…”_ _

__Her eyes widened and she turned around in shock at hearing that voice. “Garl?”_ _

__Her jaw nearly dropped upon seeing her ex standing there. She quickly assessed the situation as she prepared a miracle, wondering just what he was up to. Still, she quickly determined he likely wasn’t out to cause trouble. He seemed rather timid and hesitant, unlike how he usually was. His voice emphasized this._ _

__“Hello Astraea. You…look good. And you were great out there tonight…”_ _

__That little bit of rambling instantly set her off. “You were there too…”_ _

__He nodded. “Yeah. Still like jazz, you know. Hoped to maybe see you too, really… At the university, Lucian let it slip you might be here… That and Rhea told me you were going here too…”_ _

__He seemed to get more nervous the longer he spoke and Astraea could feel herself getting angrier, especially at the involvement of Rhea. “Go home, Garl. I have nothing to say to you. Especially not after the university.”_ _

__She could see him cringe at that. Circe had told her all about the altercation between him and Lucian and it had not improved her opinion of her ex. As far as she was concerned, whatever lingering feelings she had didn’t matter anymore. She cherished what they had, but she was moving on with her life and he should do the same._ _

__She walked away, only to freeze over when he suddenly grabbed her arm. He didn’t apply any pressure or hurt her, but Astraea almost punched him on reflex. What stopped her was his almost begging voice._ _

__“Please, I just want to talk. About what happened between us. Why it happened. After that, I’ll go away and won’t bother you ever again, I promise… Just…please…”_ _

__Without thoroughly realizing it, she stopped. She didn’t quite see that coming. Her first instinct was to reject his offer as she simply wanted to go to bed and not beat a dead horse again, much less deal with him. Still, knowing she couldn’t avoid him forever, perhaps trying to settle matters somewhat would help. If that meant the end of all of this, she might as well indulge him. She pointed in the distance._ _

__“Not here. My apartment is over there. Don’t try anything.”_ _

__All he did at that was nod. She then continued her walk, noting how he followed her like a puppy would its master. She noted there was a slight spring in his step now and if she wasn’t so annoyed with the situation, she would have laughed. The trek back to her apartment now seemed to take forever and she quietly let him inside before pulling the door shut._ _

__As she put away her bag and keys, she could see him look around her apartment. No doubt he was surprised by how small it was, to the point the bed, kitchen and living room were at the same space, the former separated from the latter by a curtain. She let out a dismissive sound as she walked to the sink, meanwhile wondering what the protocol for talking to ex-fiancés was._ _

__“Yeah, it’s small, but it’s all I need. You want some coffee, tea? Anything else?”_ _

__Garl jumped a little, before responding. “Coffee, please…”_ _

__A few minutes later, she walked over to the couch with two cups of coffee, and he took one. “So…about six months ago… Why? What made you change your mind?”_ _

__Astraea took a sip of her own coffee before sighing and deciding to be blunt. “First of all, it had nothing to do with you. I had expected you’d see that and it wouldn’t come to a breakup. Obviously, I was wrong, but there’s no use crying over spilled milk.”_ _

__She could see him cringe at that and she quietly berated herself for sounding so harsh and uncaring. She did still care for Garl and regularly missed him; it was rather that she was tired of shedding tears at this point. Moving on was her main objective and she didn’t want to end up crying and complicate what was a final discussion of the relationship post-mortem. Thankfully, he seemed to pick up on that and continued with his next question._ _

__“So, if it wasn’t me, why then?”_ _

__She could only repeat what she said before. “I didn’t feel we were ready. Before the camp, we were never even allowed to hold hands, kiss or go on a date alone. We had no idea how to live together or have a normal relationship. It felt more like making amends with our family and keeping them happy than something we genuinely wanted to do.”_ _

__Her ex sat back with a sigh. “I wish you would’ve told me that earlier…”_ _

__Instantly, Astraea scoffed. “Don’t you think I would have if I could? Between our families keeping us apart and them constantly telling me I was doing the right thing, it was hard to speak up or even find the courage to. I only managed to when I realized I really was about to go on the chopping block.”_ _

__Garl made a face. “Heh. “Chopping block”. That’s a lovely way of putting it. Kind of true though…”_ _

__She found herself looking up from her drink, giving him a questioning look, and he continued. “I didn’t really want to get married yet either, you know. I just felt it was the only option at the time.”_ _

__Astraea stopped in the middle of another sip and stared at him. That information was definitely new. Part of her was shocked. She hadn’t expected Garl to have reservations about getting married as well, seeing how he was the one to propose in the first place. She disliked the fact that she felt a twinge of hurt over that, even now, but she quietly hid that fact. Instead, she figured she might as well take the liberty to ask his reasoning._ _

__“Do elaborate.”_ _

__He took a deep breath. “I proposed because I figured our families would be satisfied and back off. After we got married, we could finally be alone together and have a normal relationship. It would still be a lot earlier than I wanted, but we’ve known each other all our lives and were in love. So I assumed we’d make it…”_ _

__Without so much as saying a word, Astraea found herself lowering her cup and setting it on the table. She did her best to keep a serene expression, but inwardly her mind was racing a mile per hour. So Garl hadn’t really wanted to get married either. He had also felt pressured by his family and his only motivation had been for them to gain the kind of freedom the Boletarian Church denied to unmarried couples. It saddened her and warmed her heart at the same time, but it mattered little now and her reaction suited that sentiment._ _

__“Perhaps you should have told me that…”_ _

__He let out a sad chuckle. “Maybe, but I felt I couldn’t. It was our reputations and our relationship with our family and the Boletarian Church on the line. It was all we had and I didn’t want you to sacrifice that…and frankly, I didn’t yet have the courage to do so myself.”_ _

__A frown formed on her face. “Yet?”_ _

__In one swift motion, he downed the rest of his coffee. “I left the Boletarian Church a few weeks ago. Though God knows it didn’t happen peacefully... I’m sleeping on the couch of a friend at the Academy’s called Brendan and am looking for my own place.”_ _

__Even though he tried to sound dismissive, she could detect the sadness in his voice and responded appropriately. “Sorry to hear that.”_ _

__He shrugged. “Don’t be. I guess it was inevitable. I just wish I had the nerve to stand up to everyone while we were still together.”_ _

__Astraea froze halfway through putting her cup on the table. She stared at Garl as if he had turned into a Man Centipede. Talk about a night full of surprises. Yet unlike the previous events, a proper politically correct response eluded her. A fact that didn’t seem lost on her ex-boyfriend. He put his empty cup down as well and she could see his fists clenching._ _

__“Look, I know it’s probably not what you want to hear. But here we are putting our cards on the table, so I might as well. I still miss you. I wish I had stayed instead of walking away. I should have taken a stand for us both against our families and the Church. Maybe things would have been different if I did…”_ _

__Once more, Astraea didn’t respond. Of all the things she had anticipated for him to say, that wasn’t on the list. How did one deal with that kind of confession? Seeing their earlier encounter in the gym, she had assumed he was done with her. She had not imagined that he still loved her and genuinely regretted splitting up._ _

__She sat back into the couch, still silent. Garl seemed to notice it and sat up. He then got up from the couch. He gave her a friendly nod._ _

__“Sorry. You probably don’t care for all of that. I should go. We said what we needed to say and you probably want to sleep anyway. Thanks for your time and the coffee…”_ _

__As he was about to move away, her mind raced on what to do. The polite, politically correct person in her told her she should tell him to stay safe, be happy and see him off. After all, that was the right thing to do when having an amicable farewell conversation with an ex._ _

__Her common sense, however, told her not to simply let him walk off again. She still loved him and her feelings towards him had never been part of her reason to break things off. It had been the circumstances and those had changed dramatically. Things were different now they were away from their family’s yoke. They could have a much different relationship now if they wanted, on their own terms. At least, if she didn’t let him go through that door again… It was now or never and she was going to trust her gut this time._ _

__She took hold of his arm, motioning him to sit with her again. “No, I think you should stay a little longer. Let’s have some more coffee. Like you said, we might as well put our cards on the table.”_ _

__

______ _

__

__“Do we really have to go check on her?”_ _

__Circe gave her boyfriend an annoyed glance. “Yes, we should! I saw Garl, Lucian! He was at the festival and going after Astraea! And I called her several times and she didn’t pick up! Maybe he simply needed to go the same way, but I don’t want to go to her place in a few days and find a stiff!”_ _

__Lucian simply made another face. “Geez, dramatic much, Circe?”_ _

__She huffed. “Stranger things have happened. You never know these days…”_ _

__As a frequent follower of international news, his eyes widened and he sighed. “Okay, fine. Let’s check on her, just to make sure.”_ _

__The Maiden in Black increased her pace as she rushed through the silent streets. By now, a queasy feeling had settled in her stomach. What should’ve been a pleasant evening was swiftly coming apart the moment she had spotted Garl Vinland among the crowd._ _

__Initially, she had thought nothing of it. After all, this was a public jazz festival and he had every right to be there. Still, when she suddenly realized she saw him heading in the same direction as where Astraea lived, and where she was certain he had no business, she got worried. It prompted her to call her friend and when she didn’t pick up, all alarm bells started going off. Maybe Lucian was right and she was simply overreacting, but after the incident at the college she wasn’t going to take the risk._ _

__Once she finally reached the apartment, she frantically burst into the lobby with her boyfriend. The custodian didn’t bother to pay them any attention, already well aware that they were friends with one of the residents. Leaving Lucian in the dust, she raced up the stairs to where Astraea’s apartment was and started to hammer on the doorbell._ _

__No one responded._ _

__“Astraea? Astraea, are you there? Hey! Astraea! Open up! If you’re there, please answer me!”_ _

__The door remained shut and there was no reply, making her grow more fearful and frustrated. Deciding to go for plan B, she leaned her head against the door and listened closely. Behind the door, she could faintly make out several noises. Human noises, but not the kind one would normally make in a pleasant conversation._ _

__By now panic had completely taken hold of her. She started banging on the door, trying her best not to freak out. By the time Lucian had caught up to her, she was paler than she usually was and her hands were starting to shake. He was quick to notice and grabbed her shoulders in an effort to calm her down while staring at their friend’s front door._ _

__“Anything?”_ _

__She shook her head. “I’m hearing strange sounds in there, but I’m not getting any answer at all. I’m really worried now…”_ _

__By now, it was clear her boyfriend was sharing that sentiment. He let go of her, made an assessment of the entrance and then motioned her to stand back. He then took a few steps backwards too, readying himself._ _

__“Here, let me…”_ _

__Only now did Circe realize what he was planning on. “Lucian, no! We should just call the c…”_ _

__Her warning came far too late. Her boyfriend already sped towards the door and jumped. He flew at the structure and hit it with both feet, kicking it open before plummeting to the ground. He rapidly scrambled back up before bursting into the room with her in tow. They frantically looked around the apartment, only to hear a duet of shrieks and freeze with a look of shock on their faces._ _

__On the bed, the curtains around it not even closed, were two obviously naked people. The lower one was Astraea. The one on top was definitely Garl. It didn’t take long for Circe to deduce what exactly was going on here, but it seemed Lucian’s conclusion dramatically branched from hers._ _

__“You bastard!”_ _

__Within seconds, fireballs started to fly through the room. Astraea shrieked and tried to cover herself, while Garl quickly ducked to avoid a burst of flames to the face. The fireball went right over his head, singing a part of his ponytail before hitting a framed picture on the nearest wall. It instantly flew off, leaving a large burn mark on the wallpaper._ _

__Letting out a less than manly yelp, Garl temporarily seemed at a loss for what to do. He then put himself over Astraea in an apparent effort to protect her and help her keep her dignity. That little gesture put the Maiden in Black over the edge in determining the situation and she flung herself at her boyfriend to keep him from raining more fire and brimstone upon the hapless couple._ _

__“Lucian, calm down! False alarm! There’s nothing going on!”_ _

__Instantly, Lucian made a face as he gestured to the bed and shouted. “Does that look like nothing to you?”_ _

__Circe simply ignored his outburst and turned to her shaken friend and her glaring lover. Trying her best not to look exactly at what they’re doing and fully realizing the awkwardness of the situation, she took a deep breath. For their sake and hers, she’d better make this quick._ _

__“Sorry, Astraea, this is my fault. I saw Garl heading your way and you didn’t pick up the phone, so I insisted we went over to check on you…”_ _

__All she got from her friend was an embarrassed and annoyed expression. “So uh…I assume you two patched things up?”_ _

__She could see Garl roll his eyes while Astraea simply blushed. “Yes. And I appreciate you looking out for me, but we’re kind of in the middle of something…obviously. So, uh…could you please head home?”_ _

__Never had the Maiden in Black heard any words more liberating. She smiled and nodded, before quietly walking back to the entrance. She gave them an awkward wave._ _

__“Alright… We are going then. Have fun…”_ _

__Lucian did the same, clearly trying not to look at the image in front of him as well. “And sorry about the door…and the painting… We’ll make it up to you… Bye…”_ _

__With that, he closed the door behind them, shutting it to the best of his abilities with the broken lock. They then exchanged an uncomfortable glance, before quickly walking down the hallway and exiting the building. Only when they were on the streets again did her boyfriend speak first._ _

__“Well, that was something we didn’t need to see…”_ _

__“Yeah… At the very least it turned out nothing was wrong and I’m glad she’s happy again… The same doesn’t go for me though after seeing that…”_ _

__She let out a deep, irritated sigh before stepping off the sidewalk, planning to cross the quiet road. Lucian didn’t follow suit. He stayed where he was, clearly giving her a confused look._ _

__“Um, Circe? Home is that way…”_ _

__She let out an annoyed grunt. “Look, I just had a casual conversation with my friend while her boyfriend was inside of her. I want that image out of my head next time we meet, so I’m going to the 7/11 for some comfort food and alcohol first.”_ _

__Within mere minutes, the Slayer of Demons was right back at her side, clearly appreciating the idea. “…That sounds like a solid plan. The Gods know it will be awkward enough already…”_ _

__He took her hand and thus, the two of them walked off into the night, hoping to temporarily forget the sight they had stumbled upon. At the very least, to do so until they inevitably had to go back to replace the door and painting. That would require a lot of beer indeed._ _


End file.
